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State will decide how to enforce Maoist ban

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday admitted that the central government's decision to ban the Communist Party of India-Maoists applies within the state too, but asserted that the state will decide how to enforce it.

  • IANS
  • Published: 22:56 June 23, 2009
  • Gulf News

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday admitted that the central government's decision to ban the Communist Party of India-Maoists applies within the state too, but asserted that the state will decide how to enforce it.

"This act is applicable in the whole country. Thus, it is applicable in West Bengal also," Bhattacharjee told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"It is up to us to decide how far we can go, whom to arrest ... this is our business. That we will decide," he stressed.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram gave notice of the ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act on Monday.

"It [CPI-Maoist] was always a terror organisation and today an ambiguity has been removed that it is a terror organisation," he said.

Bhattacharjee said the central act, passed in 1967 and amended from time to time, provides for the states to take actions against 34 organisations.

"In the Act it is categorically written which are the steps the government can take, the punishments and other things. We just cannot say no to this act," the chief minister said. But he said there was no need for the state to come out with new legislation as a follow-up to the central ban.

Asked if the central law or the laws in force in the state will apply to anyone arrested under the act, he replied: "That's for the state government to decide".

Bhattacharjee advocated a mix of tough administrative action, development initiatives and political steps to tackle the Maoists.

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